Shenandoah Conservatory announces the winners of the 2022/23 Student Soloists Competition (SSC) on behalf of the SSC committee. The final round of the competition was held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 22, in Armstrong Concert Hall.
Pictured left to right: Dane Frandsen (Category I – Instrumental), Isabel Dimoff (Category II – Instrumental), Qiuyu Li (Category II – Voice), Lourdes Rodriguez (Category I – Voice), Patrick Rippeon (Category I – Instrumental/Honorable Mention), Yanjue Lin (Category II – Keyboard) and Hidemi Minagawa (Category II – Keyboard).
Category I – Undergraduate
Instrumental Division Winner
Dane Frandsen, flute
Vocal/Choral Division Winner
Lourdes Rodriguez, soprano
Category II – Graduate
Instrumental Division Winner
Isabel Dimoff, cello
Keyboard Division Winners
Yanjue Lin, piano
Hidemi Minagawa, piano
Vocal/Choral Division Winner
Qiuyu Li, soprano
Honorable Mention
Category I – Undergraduate
Patrick Rippeon, saxophone
Winners of this year’s competition will be featured in a performance with the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2022.
Participants performed in preliminary and semifinal rounds judged by the 2022/23 SSC Committee, which featured Shenandoah Conservatory faculty representatives from the Instrumental, Keyboard and Vocal/Choral Divisions, as well as Conductor, Director of Orchestral Studies and Professor of Conducting Jan Wagner, who also serves as SCC Committee chair. The final round was adjudicated by an all-external jury.
2022/23 Student Soloists Competition Committee
Jan Wagner, SSC Chair
Conductor; Director of Orchestral Studies; Professor of Conducting
Colin Davin, SSC Instrumental Division Representative
Director of Guitar Studio; Associate Professor of Guitar
Fotina Naumenko, SSC Vocal/Choral Division Representative
Assistant Professor of Voice (Soprano)
John O’Conor, SSC Keyboard Division Representative
Distinguished Artist-in-Residence; Chair of Keyboard Division; Professor, Piano
2022/23 Guest Final Jury
Audrey Andrist, Keyboard Division Representative
University of Maryland
James Stern, Instrumental Division Representative
University of Maryland
Joy Schreier, Vocal/Choral Division Representative
Washington National Opera – Assistant Conductor
Peabody Institute – Faculty, Opera Department
About the Winners
Dane Frandsen ’24 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance and studies with Assistant Professor of Flute Julietta Curenton, M.M.
Isabel Dimoff ’24 is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma and studies with Associate Professor of Cello Julian Schwarz, M.M.
Qiuyu Li ’24 is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and studies with Professor of Voice Byron Jones ’04, D.M.A., and Visiting Professor of Voice Kerry Wilkerson, M.A.
Lourdes Rodriguez ’23 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance and studies with Assistant Professor of Voice (Soprano) Fotina Naumenko, D.M.A.
Patrick Rippeon ’25 is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance and studies with Chair of Instrumental Division and Professor of Saxophone Timothy Roberts, D.M.A.
Yanjue Lin ’24 is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and studying with Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Performance Marika Bournaki, M.M.
Hidemi Minagawa ’20, ’24 is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and studying with Distinguished Artist-in-Residence, Chair of Keyboard Division and Professor of Piano John O’Conor, Mus.D. Minagawa earned an Artist Diploma from Shenandoah Conservatory in 2020.